Furnace



Aug. 14, 1928. 1,680,468

F. MENNE FURNACE Filed May 20. -1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Tllql- R Y n?,

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F. MENNE FURNACE Filed May 20. i927 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HJ L l "ffl, o G T2 l m l INVE N T05 F12/T2 MEN/vg BY ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITE-D STATES FRITZ MENNE, or WEIDENAU-oN-rnn-srne, GERMANY,

HoEvEL, or NEW Yoan', N. Y.

rA'ssIGfNon To HERMAN F.

Application led May 20, 1927, Serial No.

My invention relates to furnaces of the type in which the material to be heated is caused to travel within the furnace. The

articular embodiments. of my invention a illustrated by the accompanying drawings have been devised for heating bundles of `metal scrap to a temperature exceeding red heat, so that the pieces of `scrap iron or the like` will become welded together, thus lo facilitating the handling' and further treatment ofsuch bundles. I rdesire it to be understood, however, that my invention may be applied to other uses as well. The object of my invention is to provide an eilicient In furnace of the type indicated, having an imi proved arrangement `for feeding th'e material interiorly of lthe furnace with aminimum of jarrin or other disturbance. Other features o, the invention will appear l0 from the detailed description following hereinafter', and from the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. vl is a longitudinal vertical section through a furnace :e embodying my improvements, said section beingtaken on' the line 1-f1of Fig. 3,- Fig. 2 is an outside view of the furnace, with parts broken away' FigB is across-section anule une 3-3 ,of rig. 1; Fig. 4 is a 10nlu` gitudinal section taken on the line 4-4Lof ig'. 45 and showing another `form of my .invention; Fig. 5 is` a cross section vonthe line `5--5 of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a partial longitudinal section of still another form` of my in- .5 vention and Fig. 7 1s a detail transverse `section of a movable bottom, showing the same `with abundle supported thereon. The furnace Z is shown as having a longitudinal chamber or passage Y `the ends of which l' may be closed by ydoors R, R', generally suspended and arranged toybe moved up or downlby means of any suitable mechanism (not shown). At its center, thepassage Y is provided with a downward extension X, 5 and the portions Q at the sides ofthis extension or channel X constitute a Yfloor or support for the articles P to be heated in the furnace and to be'fe'd lengthwise thereofQin the direction `from R to R (from H `right to left); These articles may, forin-` fstance, be 1 bundles of scrap iron, such bundles being preferably of rectangular rismatic shape, as shown, and of such a ength as to bridge the channel X, see Figs. 5 3` and 5.

192,815, yand in Germany october s, 1925.

In the channel X is arranged a bottom A movable up and down so that its upper surface may be brought either below the level of the lloor Q as shown in full lines, or

above such level, as indicated by dotted lines 1n Fi'g. 1.' In addition to its vertical movement', the bot-tom A also has a longitudinal movement in the channel X. These movements 'may be performed in any suitable manner, but the' mechanism forV effecting them' is preferably located exteriorly of the furnace proper, so as not to be. exposed to the direct heat of the furnace gases.

According to Figs. l, 2 and 3, the movable bottom A is supported on cross bars B extending through lateral openings Z of the furnace. The ends of these cross bars are located exterior-ly of the yfurnace proper,

and secured to the lower ends of external suspensionrods C. The upper ends of said rods (l laresecured Vto external longitudinal bars D,-supported at D by means of toggle- Y like' links E the upper ends of which are piv'oted atgD. The lower ends of said links are pivotally connected with nut-s G `movable lengthwise on shafts H. The nuts connected withthe same pair of links engage shaft-,portionsthreaded in opposite directions. Thus, as the shafts H are rotated, the-nuts-GrI ofthe salme pair will be moved 'toward or lfromeach other, and the bars D withthe bottom Araised or lowered as the points lD"'n1ove' up or down. The shafts H A are )"ournale'd'inlongitudinal bars F in such a manner as to prevent longitudinal movemerit of the shafts relatively to said bars F. Any suitable mechanism may be provided for rotating said shafts, for instance worm gearingK on a transverse shaft ,l having a handle or crank S for yoperating it, all these parts being located eXteriorly of the furnace proper. The bars F and all the parts ycarried thereby, areV movable lengthwise of `the shaft I, the operator can move the bottom A lengthwise of theV furnace, and by rotating the shaft J, he can raise or lower said bottom. j

In operation, the first bundle P is deposlilo lll

ited on the bottom A while the latter is in its lower position and projected from the furnace, as indicated at the extreme right in Fig. l. The bottom A is then raised with said bundle I until the latter is aboveV the level of the floor Q. Thereupon the door lt is opened temporarily, and the bottom A moved toward the lett to bring the bundle l to the position P', within the furnace, and the door l is closed again, the bottom A being in the position indicated by the dotted lines. rlhe bottom A is then dropped back to its initial position, thus depositing the bundle l on the floor Q.

By a periodical repetition ot the operations just described, additional bundles P are introduced into the furnace, while at the same time the bundles previously introduced are moved, step by step, toward lthe outlet door R. The 'furnace gases (ot any suitable eharacterj) are admitted at N and travel in the cham er or passage Y to the outlet V, in the direction opposite to the travel of the bundles l?. It will be noted that the bundles are spaced regularly, and that their central portions, above the channel or extension X, are unsupported andfreely exposed to the heating medium when the bottom A has been lowered as shown in Fig. 8. The heating gases therefore have free access to practically all portions ofthe bundles P,

and the scrap iron or other material is heated very efficiently, and preferably to welding heat so as to produce a bundle that will not fall apart during subsequent handling. For instance, when a bundle has reached the final position indicated at PX, at the extreme left ot- Fig. 1, the door R may be opened and said bundle grasped by jaws or tongs (not shown) to withdraw yit from the furnace and place it in a suitabley press where such bundle is reduced in size considerably and thus made more convenient for shipment or further treatment. W'hen the bottom A is moved to the right,

a suflicient space is left below the inlet V to allow solid matter to drop between the door R and the adjacent end of the bottom A. For the purpose of making repairs, the bottom Amay be slid lengthwise on its sup` porting cross bars B toward the right and it desired removed from the furnace entirely.

As the operating mechanism for moving the bottom A is located exteriorly of the furnace, such mechanism is not exposed to the direct action ot heat, and will therefore be very durable. Protective housings T may be provided at the lower ends of the suspension rods C I have found it desirable in many cases to protect the bottom'A, .and particularly its upper portion, that is to say, the portion which comes in contact with the hot gases. For this purpose, pipes M through which cooling water is caused to flow, are arranged at said upper portion and also, if desired, at otherA portions of the bottom A. Preferably, these pipes project upwardly from the upper surface of the bottom, and may be made root-shaped, as shown, so that the bundles l) will not rest directly on said upper surface, but only on the pipes M, thus enabling thel hot gases to get at the central portions of the lower surfaces of the bundles, even when the bundles` are raised above the floor Q. At the end of the bottom A nearest the outletdoor R', the pipes M preferably project lengthwise from the bottom A forming an open-work or,y grate like support through which scale and my other loose matter may drop from the bundles P before the latter are discharged from the furnace. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 I have indicated three cooling pipes M each comprising an upper run and a. lower run located inthe same vertical plane. In Fig. (i, greater strength is obtained by employing, in addition to the said pipes M, pipes such as M', fitted within or between the runs of the corresponding pipe M,.and in the same vertical plane therewith.

ln the construction illustrated by Figs. 4;

` and 5, the toggle links E are disposed below the bottom A, and at their upper pivots said links carry rollers D2 supporting the bottom A. Each pair of links has the lower end of one link connected pivotally with a bracket or cross bar F2 rigid with a longitudinally movable tramek F. The lower end ot the other link of each pair is pivotally connected with a cross head G movable lengthwise of the frame F', and provided with a roller running on a stationary track. The two cross heads G are connect ed with a shaft H', in such. a manner that shaft and cross heads will be com yelled to movein unison lengthwise of said frame F', the shaft having a threaded portion fitting:` into a correspondingly threaded opening of said trame. This mechanism enables the bottoni A to be raised andy lowered, for the same purpose as described in connection` with Figs. 1. 2 and 3. The longitudinal movement ot the bottom A is obtained by moving the traine F lengthwise ot thel furnace Z. For this purpose, the said trame may be provided with a central long ifitudinalY rack portion F'd engaged by a pinion L on a transverse shaft J which is journaled on the furnace Z. A roller U journaled on the frame F and engaging one end of the bottom A may be employed to guide said end during its vertical movement. It will be noted that in this ease also, the mechanism tor operating the bott-om A is located externally of the furnace proper and therefore protected against the direct action of the heating gases. l Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A furnace having a longitudinal passage, a loose bottom adjacent to said passage, toggle links operatively associated with said bottom, a support movable length wise of the furnace and carrying said toggle links, mechanism mounted on said support for varying the distance between the ends of the toggle links and thereby raising or lowering said bottom, and mechanism for moving said support lengthwise of the furnace together with said bottom.

2. A furnace having a longitudinal passage, a loose bottom arranged adjacent to said passage longitudinally thereof and provided with cooling pipes projecting lengthwise from the upper surface of the bottom and beyond one end thereof and spaced to form an open-work support at such end to permit loose material to drop'through.

A furnace having a longitudinal passage, a loose bottom movable both lengthwise of the furnace adjacent to said passa-ge and also movable up and down, a support movable lengthwise of the furnace but held against vertical movement, toggle links pivotally connected with each other in pairs, the distant or free ends of links of the same pair being carried by said support, and relatively movable lengthwise of the furnace to decrease or increase the distance between such free ends and thereby cause the adja cent ends of the links of each pair to move up or down, means whereby the up or down movement of said adjacent ends of the toggle links will cause a like movement of the loose bottom, and mechanism for moving said support with the toggle links and the bottom lengthwise of the furnace. V

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRITZ MENNE. 

